Obama's Hospitality: A Question of Character | By Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

This Monday President Obama hosts his second White House seder in as many years. As a Jewish American I am grateful to the President for highlighting the festival of Jewish emancipation and peoplehood. But given a choice, I would readily forego the White House Manischewitz in exchange for an end to the bitter herbs the President is dishing out to Israel. Publicly shunning the Israeli Prime Minister and privately berating him is not going to be forgiven because of gefilte fish and matza balls. You want to show American Jewry some respect, Mr. President, then stop treating the elected leader of the Jewish state like Pharaoh.

I received my own lesson this week about how to treat those with whom you sharply disagree. I was in Italy to promote the Italian translation of my book The Michael Jackson Tapes. Gary Krupp, the New York-based Jewish papal knight of whom I had been sharply critical for defending Pius XII, went out of his way to arrange for me to be invited to the Vatican to see documents relating to Pius’ pontificate. When I arrived, just one week before good Friday, although the Vatican was under siege with international press reports of pedophile priests, Monsignor Livio Poloniato, who works in the Cardinal Secretary of State’s office, gave me hours of his time to show me around. Here I was, an unrelenting critic for over a decade of a Pope whom the Holy See is seeking to canonize. Yet, the high-ranking Priests I met could not have been friendlier. From Msgr. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, who is Chief of Vatican Protocol, to American members of the curia who have lived away from home for twenty years, everyone I met showed kindness and warmth. The visit did not change my view of Pius XII, whom I continue to view as guilty of the foremost moral omission of the twentieth century in refusing to even once speak out against the holocaust. But it did get me thinking.

As I walked the streets of Rome over the Sabbath, I contrasted the warm welcome accorded a leading Papal critic with that of President Obama’s disdainful treatment of the democratically-elected leader of the Jewish State, Binyamin Netanyahu. If the reports are true and President Obama got up and left in middle of his meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, derisively telling him he was going to have dinner with his family and telling the Prime Minister to ‘get back to me if you have anything new,’ then as an American I am ashamed of our President’s behavior. As a Jew I am scandalized by his contempt. Yes, having dinner with your kids is very important and constitutes the main objective behind my national ‘Turn Friday Night Into Family Night’ initiative. But to use your kids as an excuse to treat a guest like garbage is repellant and constitutes a terrible lesson to the children.

And all this because the President so readily dismisses the Jewish insistence on holding on to a capitol we established three thousand years ago and have prayed to return to thrice daily ever since the Romans forcibly ejected us in the year 70.

There was a time, not long ago, when, while disagreeing with many of the President’s policies, I found him inspiring. Here was a man who never had the love of a father who overcame immense obstacles to emerge temperate, committed to the common good, and a devoted husband and father. As a lover of great oratory I was moved the President’s eloquence and passion. I penned a much-circulated column praising his decision to stop using the name Barrie and return to his given name, Barack. I wrote that all Jews – who so often hide their identities by changing their names – should learn pride from our President.

Sadly, I am now beginning to question Obama’s very character. Am I to look up to a President who treats Netanyahu like a Mexican cartel kingpin, refusing to greet him publicly, share a press conference, or even take a single picture with him? Is our president ignorant of basic manners? Perhaps we should be grateful that the President even allowed Netanyahu into the country. Since the Arabs are famously celebrated for their hospitality, perhaps on his next meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia President Obama can skip the bow and inquire instead as to how to treat a guest.

Remember the way the President treated the Dalai Lama this past February? Fearing upsetting the bullying Chinese, Obama similarly refused to publicly greet a fellow Nobel Peace laureate whom the world regards as its foremost humanitarian. No pictures, no press conference, no public welcome. To cap it off, he made the leader of Tibet leave through a staff kitchen entrance that was strewn with giant bags of garbage.

All this reinforces my growing suspicion that President Obama not only lacks a commitment to a moral foreign policy that champions freedom and democracy, but, when you cross him, even a commitment to basic courtesy. Cross the man and all that charm turns to ice.

I hope that as the President reads the words of the Haggadah this year he will focus on the very last line of the evening. It’s just four words, easy to remember, and it’s something the Jews have been saying six hundreds years before Islam came into existence. “Next year in Jerusalem.”

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Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is the founder of This World: The Values Network. He has just published ‘The Blessing of Enough: Rejecting Material Greed, Embracing Spiritual Hunger. www.shmuley.com

Pesach 2010: From Enslavement to Liberation and Back Again?

Living with a 5,770 year old tradition may not always seem contemporary. However, it is surprising and even shocking how often the ancient tradition becomes profoundly relevant to the current moment.

Passover, based on the Book of Exodus, tells a revealing story of human enslavement. It starts from a premise that is challenging to understand. How could the People of Israel which was clearly credited for having saved ancient Egypt from vast impoverishment, massive starvation and possible total annihilation, be suddenly transformed from a praised people into an enslaved nation?

The answer is given in one short biblical statement found in the opening verses of the Exodus text. “There arose a new king in Egypt who no longer knew Joseph”. Joseph, the leader of the Jewish People, who lifted Egypt to its height of power and “world domination” was conveniently forgotten, dismissed and erased. Pharaoh thought that by removing or disabling the “Jewish obstacle” the doors would be wide open for him to become ultimate power/god of the world.

Pharaoh yearned to attain the popularity of the masses and his association with the Israelite nation was no longer in his best interests. His defense against the Jews was to gradually destroy their credibility by fostering a series of believable demeaning fabricated stories. This step was followed by placing further restrictions upon the Israelites and demanding additional concessions.

Pharaoh’s powerful charisma and eloquence were able to convince not only the Egyptian populace but even an extremely high number of Jews that the Israelite enslavement was a benefit to all. His orations were so successful that most Jews when given the choice of freedom or enslavement opted to remain as slaves.

Pharaoh understood that dictatorial success comes by thinking for others, telling others what is good for them, teaching others that they have no right or power to reach for their own destiny and to determine their own future.

Confusion set in and many people couldn’t tell that there was a moral difference between Moses and Pharaoh. In many minds, Egypt the society that praised “death” was held superior to Israel, a society that fostered “life”. This extreme confusion led to the famous “Ninth Plague”, the Plague of Darkness. It was darkness that filled the world with moral confusion and it was Israel that was tasked to lead the world out of “darkness and death” into a world of “light and life”.

As it turned out, Pharaoh’s aim to debase, defame and wipe the Jewish people out of existence only backfired. Instead of ultimately destroying the Jews, his own destruction came forth along with the demise of ancient Egypt.

Passover is to celebrate that enslavement was reversed and liberation emerged with a victory of life over death and good over evil.

But then, there is a chilling occurrence that can follow the victory of liberation.

The post liberation crisis is an awkward development which works to dismember the victory of liberation and empower the exact forces that threaten liberty’s future. The challenge of living in freedom is that it is easy to forget and to lose an understanding of just how dangerous and pernicious enslavement is. The comfort of freedom can seep to a level where the core values of liberty can become totally diminished and even dismissed.

The Exodus narrative begins with enslavement and ends with liberation. Our job is to always remember the great value of liberty. It is too easy to become complacent and then suddenly discover that enslavement is gaining the upper hand.

The text reads that in every generation there arises a force that sets forth to destroy us. These words are a warning that one must never take freedom for granted. It must be understood that liberty is continually under attack and that moral confusion threatens to fill the world. Moral confusion is when evil is praised, given a “pass”, excused and rationalized and in contrast, good is heavily criticized and dramatically scorned for a possible pin point of imperfection.

This year, the Seder’s ending phrase, “Next Year In Jerusalem” will perhaps have more meaning than it has had for the past number of decades. It appears that “liberation” and “Jerusalem” have an eternal connection. Both are not to be taken lightly because both can easily be taken away and destroyed. The loss of either means dire consequences to the entire world.

The relevance of the Passover Seder has the ability to startle one who was expecting to read only an ancient story. As one commemorates the leaving of Egypt and the victory over forced enslavement, one may suddenly realize that the course of history doesn’t always advance. At times, there can be gross regression and a revisiting of the same pain filled issues of moral confusion. It is up to us to make sure that liberty wins and that enslavement is not allowed to score a repeated victory.

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Daryl Temkin, Ph.D. is the founder of the Israel Institute for the Advancement of Alternative Energy.

Sign the "We Stand with Prime Minister Netanyahu" petition!

I DID IT, SO SHOULD YOU!!!!!

PLEASE REPOST.


Thanks to Matt Lipeles for being this to our attention.

Sign the petion here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/we-a

MR Prime Minster,
We stand with you in admiration and gratitude.

We urge you to hold strong and do what is in Israel's best interest.


 

Purim Metamorphosis: A Fable

This is by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin of Aish Hatorah.  I found it so poignant that I absolutely had to share it with you all!  You might think the timing is a few weeks off, but the message is timeless.

The original article may be found here: http://tinyurl.com/PurimMetamorphosis
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One Purim, I woke up as a turtle. To say that I was surprised would be a gross understatement. I had always been a human being when I woke up in the morning. This was the first time I woke up as a turtle.

Now how would you feel if you found yourself transformed into a turtle? I wasn't upset. I always felt that one of the highest priorities in life is to accept the Almighty's will. At times this can be highly challenging. When you expect a specific difficulty you can mentally picture yourself accepting it with inner strength and courage. But in my wildest dreams, I had never imagined that I would be a turtle. I was totally dedicated to pass this test, and focused on accepting my Creator's will.

I moved slowly. I didn't yet have a clear plan where I was heading. All I had was a general goal of using my potential to its fullest.

Although I was moving slowly, I made steady progress. When I was a human, I realized the importance of being grateful for all our gifts. This realization stayed with me. I was extremely grateful for my hard outer shell. This protected me in case anyone would shout, "HURRY UP!!" I would just disappear into my shell. That's what shells are for.

I wanted to make steady progress, but at my own speed. If others weren't satisfied with the rate of my progress, I didn't need to make their reality my reality. Progress is relative. If others would see things from my perspective, they wouldn't be so judgmental.

After my initial surprise, I didn't feel bad about being a turtle. On Judgment Day, I won't be asked why I wasn't tall as a giraffe. That's not the way we turtles are. I won't be asked why I didn't fly as fast as an eagle. We turtles weren't meant to do that. The question I will have to face is, "Were you the very best turtle you could have been?" This question became my mission statement. I kept repeating it to myself over and over again and found it intensely inspiring.

Becoming a turtle after first being a human being had a disadvantage. Regular turtles didn't have anything to compare their present situation. All they knew was what it was like to be a turtle. But having been a human for so long, I had gotten used to it. I could have complained that it's unfair I couldn't continue being human. Why was I chosen to become a turtle? I realized I now had a choice. I could make the best of being a turtle. Or I could waste time whining and complaining. This would not have been the spiritual path. This would not have given me joy. I was totally dedicated to accept the Almighty's will with love and joy. That is why I was making such tremendous progress.

I don't know if anyone who saw me realized what was going through my mind. When I was a human being, I had no idea what the inner workings of a turtle's mind were like. How often have you asked yourself, "I wonder what that turtle is thinking right now?" If you will become more sensitive to a turtle's feelings because of this story, this alone will make sharing it with you worthwhile. You will be more compassionate when you see another turtle. And perhaps this will enable you to be more compassionate towards other animals, and maybe even towards other humans.

I spent each moment being a good turtle. I was doing my best and my self-image was soaring. I was part of God's creation. Nothing could be a greater accomplishment.

My goal was to raise my level from being a good turtle to reaching the fifth and highest level of turtle greatness. I literally zoomed through levels one, two, three, and four. I have to admit that I had not previously used my full potential as a human. If I could do it all over again, I would do a better job.

Then all of a sudden something strange happened. After growing from these challenges, I turned into a powerful majestic lion. I didn't realize this at first, but I happened to see a reflection of myself in a mirror. I was startled. I still considered myself a turtle.

What had happened? I was soon to learn I had experienced The Special Purim Law of Turtles. This law is complex and deserves a lengthy, learned discussion. To say it concisely: "Any turtle that progresses to a fifth level greatness on Purim automatically gets an upgrade to become a lion."

I hadn't known this before. Perhaps if I had known it, fear of success might have slowed my progress. I was just trying to do my best as a turtle. I had no idea that my hard work, my persistence, my total devotion to my goal, would have such a positive outcome.

I began experiencing life on an entirely new level. Seeing the world as a lion gave me a magnificent sense of empowerment. Now I was living on a totally different planet. I had experienced a metamorphosis from a turtle to a lion. Only if you personally experienced this could you know the extent of this change.

Having attained royal status, my entire way of being was upgraded. Everyone treated me with more respect. I was now a regal lion and felt like a king.

I had new opportunities, privileges, and obligations. I had more talents, skills, and knowledge. Naturally, my mission statement had to be upgraded. I would now be asked on Judgment Day, "Were you the very best lion you could have been?" My life goal is to proudly respond with a roaring, "YES!"

sometimes lost and undefined

There are times during my davening when I get disconcerted and generally overwhelmed with frustration about my conversion process. For sure I am always wondering when will the process end? When will that day arrive when I will be able to proudly say that special blessing to my G-d, immerse in those clandestine Mikvah waters, and--in that magical, twinkling instant in time--when will I ascend as a new Heiress of Destiny among my kindred Soul-People?

While that juncture in the matrix of space-time continuum eludes my entire being and is hidden from my mortal senses, I am left wanting--anxiously awaiting. But, there is much more to it than that. While stuck in "the process," my soul is often troubled with an identity-crisis of sorts.

Until that glorious day for which I hope, I feel as an orphan--quite left behind, somewhat unclassified, unsure of things in my bewilderment of where I belong and if I will be taken in sometime soon. I am perplexed about the finer distinctions of my soul-status and my service to G-d. I feel inside my heart as though I am not a goy; but my mind is forced to grapple with the fact that even in my sincerest moments of intimate connection with Hashem, I still am not yet a yid. I feel as though I pray as a Jew and yet I am not appraised as one. And while it is logically and reasonably imperative--it is necessary that it should be this way,--it is none-the-less quite painful a condition.

I love my siddur. My praybook is filled with profound treatises and holy discourses for me to internalize and pour out to Hashem. Yet sometimes I get tripped up and distracted by the very words, themselves. All throughout the formalized prayer literature I am reading about "me, I, us, we, our..." and I am reminded of the oneness of G-d and the oneness of the Jewish people. But alas I feel awkward and a bit unsure of myself and I question if this is even my prerogative or permissable in my present state of things. What am I to G-d? How will G-d regard my prayers? Does Hashem see me as a righteous gentile? Ugh! Or are my prayers lifted in unison with the kavanot of klal yisroel?

When I go about my day, when I awake, when I wash, when I fill my body with nutrients, when I sit to learn Torah, when I enter my shul or when I want to perform a mitzvah...Wherever I go and what ever I do, I want to say a blessing to Hashem. I want to elevate the mundane. Every mitzvah is so beautiful and soul-fulfilling. I want to serve my G-d with words and deeds. But it is not always so simple a task when I must be mindful of who I am right now, my future unrendered. I am not free to bless my food when the food that I cook is treif simply because I made it and I am a non-Jew. I must not fully keep Shabbat for it is a covenant between G-d and the children of Israel. While I am learning to speak in a holy language, I wonder if it is in my best interest at times to refrain from saying Hashem's name even when I pray because His name is sacred between G-d and the Jewish people. There is power in His Name and I would hope that I am not using His name in vain as I am not yet Jewish. Someday I will celebrate chaggim alongside my Jewish friends and my soul-mate.

In Pirkei Avos Chapter 3 Mishnah 19, it says:

Everything is foreseen, yet freedom of choice is granted; the world is judged with Goodness, and everything is according to the prepoderance of good deeds.

Concerning this, the Baal Shem Tov similiarly taught that everything--not only the events that involve man, but even those which exists in all of life including plants, animals, minerals, etc.--everything exists and is controlled by Divine providence. Everything, even the most seemingly insignificant aspect of creation, such as a leaf falling from a tree and fluttering in the wind, is ordained by G-d and comes about with Divine Energy.

G-d is Omniscient. He knows all of His creation, every indiosyncracy. Nothing is beyond his Divine understanding. And so it should not be improperly percieved that my potentiality and challenges go on unforeseen by Hashem. He knows every soul and each one's mission. Compelled by emunah and sustained with bittachun, I am learning that I must not obviate that fact that I am never beyond His reach. While it may be hard at times to articulate and reason, I try to keep in mind that Hashem sees me and knows me with a certain unique intimacy.

Rabbi Akiva descended from a family of converts! It is said that every convert is destined to convert. This idea is often reflected when our Sages would refer to ger as "a convert who converts" rather than "a gentile who converts". It is taught that even before a person converts, that person possesses the spark of a holy neshama.

Even so, I once read that while there is no obligation for a convert to convert, the decision to become Jewish or not is still a choice to be made, to be reconciled. I think this means that a convert's free will is explicable only in terms of the future intended to be realized. So even while my mind and heart is choosing to be like a Jew and I more often than not identify myself more closely with a Jew, it is okay for my neshama to be quite uncomfortable with myself as I am now because my faith and trust in Hashem through this laborious time is meant to transform me. The process of conversion is necessary for my propensity to finally be Jewish. I try not to take this for granted.

For now, though, I know that I am simply an orphan of destiny--a foundling soon to become a beneficiary or something quite definite and magnanimous--incomparable to my present emotional sufferings and state of affairs. I am a promise of a certain potentiality. And so just as I am, in a state of metamorphis, I am willing to be changed and transformed by G-d. That is what I have to offer Hashem when I daven and go about my day. May I endeavor to please Him with all that I am able.

This morning......

This morning bright and early at 6 am I was doing laundry, as usually. I kept hearing what I thought was a child crying, then sobbing. I popped my head out a few times but didn't hear anything. I continued my to check for stains on Zoe's clothes (they are always full of stains).

Again I heard it and checked and didn't hear anything. I carried on back and forth from my apt to the laundry room. If you've been to my place you know it is just 10 steps away from my door on the first floor next to the pool. Then after putting the clothes into the dryer I started to walk back and heard it again...........

Oh no, It was my neighbor who's bathroom faces the courtyard ( unfortunate design ).
I know the yahrzeit is coming up or perhaps today.
He is pretty old and lives alone, although his family lives in the neighborhood and is over often and around him every Shabbath. He was sobbing a sad and mournful sob. It sounded very very sad and lonely. This is just my impression and me being a sensitive person, had a hard time listening. I suddenly imagined waking up each day feeling alone, I imagined him preparing his house for Shabbath with no wife to light the candles and no wife to make kiddush for any more.....so sad for him.

I offer these words to all of the people I care about in my life and the people yet to come into my life.

May we never ever ever experience such pain of loss in our life. May we love and appreciate each moment we have with our loved ones and know that the people in our lives are gifts from G-d. May we have the strength to let go of anger and not hold grudges that would keep us from loving our family and good friends and enjoying their company. May we create more and more wonderful memories for our children and cement the knowledge of how much they are loved and what gifts they are to us.
May we truly know that everything is in the hands of Hashem and we can trust in him. May all of you have a peaceful and loving and joyous Shabbath and weekend and take a moment to think about the people in our lives and how lucky we are to have them for as long as we can.

Interesting Fact | J. R. R. Tolkien (the author of the Lord of the Rings) and Nazi's

Thanks to Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein for mentioning this in one of his blog postings. Rabbi Adlerstein’s blog can be read here: http://tinyurl.com/CrossCurrentsAdlerstein

J. R. R. Tolkien (the author of the Lord of the Rings) openly opposed Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party prior to the Second World War. In 1938, the German publishing house Rütten & Loening Verlag was preparing to release The Hobbit in Nazi Germany, but to Tolkien's outrage, he was asked beforehand whether he was of Aryan origin. In a letter to his British publisher Stanley Unwin, he condemned Nazi "race-doctrine" and anti-Semitism as "wholly pernicious and unscientific". He added that he was considering giving no response and "letting a German translation go hang!" He provided two letters to Rütten & Loening and instructed Unwin to send whichever he preferred. Only one of these letters, the less tactful of the two, is known to survive. In this letter, Tolkien began by denying any affiliation with the Indo-Aryans.

Tolkien chastised the publishers, and—ever the professor of philology— lectured them on the proper meaning of the term: “As far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects.”

“But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people…..I cannot, however, forbear to comment that if impertinent and irrelevant inquiries of this sort are to become the rule in matters of literature, then the time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of pride.”